Method and apparatus for treating fibrous materials



J. D. TOMPKINS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS May3, 1921. 1,626,766

Filed March 6. 1926 Patented May 3, l927.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. TOMPKINS', 0] VALATIE, NEW YORK.

' METHOD AND arranarus ron :rnnnma rmaous MATERIALS.

Application filed March 6, 1926. Serial No. 92,678. a

The object of the invention is to enable wet fibrous material to berapidly and economically dried, and although capable of other uses theinvention has particular application to the drying of a paper web in thecondition in which the latter is after being deposited on the formingwire or cylinder.

Other objects of the invention are to efiect the drying of a web of theabove nature without necessitating the application of high temperaturesor excessive pressures thereto, preferably also in such manner that thefibres may be subjected to a bleaching actlon during the drying process.

The invention also aims to provide a de v vice'which will insure thatthe paper web follows alon properly with a felt apron which is employedto carry it from the press rolls to thesubsequent section of themachine. j

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obviousand in part specifically referred to in the description hereinaftercontained, which, taken in conjunction with. the accompanying drawings,

discloses an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention andadapted to carry out the.- processes which also constitute a part ofsuch invention; such disclosure, however, is to be considered merely asillustrative of the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic longian apparatus adapted to carry outthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a moditied form of such apparatus. If aweb of paper as it comes from the web-forming parts of a paper makingmachine,'is dried by the squeeze of press rolls in combination with aseries of heated driers, the excessive pressure of the press rolls tendsto injure the fibres, and the heated surfaces of the drying rollsparticularly when the.

machine is run at high speeds, mayrequire a high degree of heat in orderto dry the web adequately; thus the fibre tendrils which make up the webmay be too highly heated and rendered brittle.

- In accordance with the present invention,

fibrous material of the above nature is dried 'by subjecting the same toan electric curwater, and the air passes through the mate- 1 may-readilybe kept below any value whichwould unduly heat the material;furthermore, the air.current preferably is moderately heated, say, from100 F. to 200 F. to promote the action of moisture liberation, butwithout involving temperatures which are high enough to injure thefibres in any way.

A web treated in the above manner may be dried sufficiently to enablethe same to be run directly through the calenders, without theinterposition of press rolls or drying rolls, although it wil beunderstood that there is nothing to prevent the use of the invention inconjunction with press rolls or drying rolls if desired.

The present embodiment of the invention is illustrated as applied to apaper making machine having a forming wire 1 runnin between upper andlower couch rolls'2 an 3, whereby the fibres are deposited upon the.forming wire 1 to form a web 4 which is carried along through themachine by felt aprons to'calenders 6, and from thence to a suitablewinding roller 7 or the like.

In the present instance the paper web is picked up from the forming wire1 by means of an upper felt a ron 8 which passes around a roller 9locate in advance of the upper couch roll 2, in such manner that theupperfell. 8 supports the web and separates the vided with additionalsuitable guiding and sup orting rolls which need not be described inetail. a I

' The electric current is supplied by means of a suitable generator 15,one pole of which is electricallyoonnected to'the web 4, or' one of thefelt aprons associated therewith, as by means of a lead 16, branchconductors 17, and resilient contact fingers 18 which wipe against theweb4 or one ofits felt aprons. In the present instance four of suchcontact fingers are illustrated, and circuit back to the generator iscompleted by means of a lead 19 connected to the other pole of thegenerator, and also connected by means of branch conductors 20 tosuction boxes 5 which are located in proximity to the several contactfingers 18.

The potential of generator 15 need be no higher than is necessary tocause a flow of current across the resistance between contact fingers 18and the suction boxes respectively adjacent thereto which are connectedto branch conductors 20,.such resistance being constituted by the fibresof the web 4, the felts S and 10 and the water carried thereby.

The sections of the web through which the electric current passes asabove described, are also subjected to a current of air. In the presentinstance a current of air is caused to pass through the web 4 and upperfelt apron 8 by air blast pipes 21 located at points in the latter whichare in the path of the electric current passing through the firstcontact finger 18 to felt apron 8, and while the web is'still'carried'on the forming wire.

Thus the electric current tends to gasify a certain ercentage of thewater carried by web 4 an felt apron 8, and. the air current carries offthe same, as well as a certain amount of moisture which the air itselfabsorbs and takes away. Preferably the air current is augmented by thesuction boxes 5.

In a similar manner the web may b repeatedly subjected to the combinedac ion of a current of air and an electric current to dry the same; inthe present embodiment of the invention, further suction boxes "5 arepositioned beneath the lower felt a ron 10 and air blast pipes 5 areassociate therewith, whereby the paper web is successively dried asabove mentioned.

In the type of machine illustrated in Fig.

1 the paper web is then carried by the felt aprons 8 and 10 throughupper and lower plain press rolls 22 and 23. It will be understood thatthe drying of" the web by. the combined action of the air currents andelectric currents above described, will materially reduce the amountof'water necessary to be extracted by the squeeze of the pressrolls,thereby avoiding the necessity of excessive mechanical pressure whichmight injure the paper web, and gall it at the press rolls.

As shown, the upper felt apron 8 then carries the paper web along to adrier roll 23, said felt apron passing around a roller 24 which rests onthe said drier roll 23 to press the web into engagement therewith. Thelower felt a ron 10 also follows along with the upper elt apron for ashort distance beyond the press rolls and passes around a blow roll 25,from within which a blast of air is directed on to the paper web 4 toinsure that thelatter will be carried along-by and in contact with theupper felt apron 8. Thus the upper felt apron continuously carries alongthe paper web from the forming wire untll the web is deposited upon thedrier roll 23, or the first roll of the drier section of the machine.

During the extraction of water from the the agency of suction boxes 5,which are disposed underneath the forming wire, is aided I y gravity,being in a downward direction, and, furthermore, the removal of water inthe above manner does not necessitate the bending of the paper web insuch a way as to injure the bond between the'newly deposited fibres, butit willbe noted that the web travels along in a substantially flatcondition which does not destroy the bond. The suction boxes are alsorelatively inexpensive and require onlv a small amount of power, ascompared to other devices such as suction rollers, which latter wouldalso require the bending of the paper web to make the suction effective.

Although the invention has been described as utilized for the treatmentof a paper web,

it will be understood that it is also applicable to thetreatment ofother fibrous sheet materials, such as textile or woven materials.Figure 2 illustrates an appartus adapted for the treatment of fabrics inaccordance with the invention. As shown in 'this figure a sheet of wetfabric 5 passes between an upper conveying apron-8 carried by rolls 30and 31 and a lower apron 1O carried by rolls 32 and 33, such fabricbeing subjected to the combined action of an air-blast, preferablymoderately heated, from air-blast pipes 24 and suction boxes 34cooperating 'with such air-blast pipes, as well as tothe action of'anelectric current supplied from one ole of the generator 15 through alead 19, ranch conductors 20* to wipers 35, and

by a lead 16 from the other pole of the generator, which is connected bysuitable branch conductors 17 to suitable metallic parts such as thesuction boxes 34, for completing the circuit from wipers 35 through thefabric sheet and back to the generator.

After having been bleached and dried in the above manner the fabric maythen be passed over a suitable hot drum 36 and rewound upon a roll 37 yI This application contains certain subject matter disclosed in my priorapplication Serial Number 646,054, filed June 18, 1923, re-

newed March 2nd, 1926, entitled Method invention have been and' aparatus for drying fibrous materials. Wln e certain specific embodlmentsof the described, it will be obvious that many chan es may be madetherein without departin from its spirit as defined in the appendeclaims.

3 current of. air passing through said web.

3. The process of treating a paper web which. comprlses supporting. andadvancing the same by a felt apron and subjecting the moving felt apronand paper web to the com- 'bined action of an electric current and anair' current.

'4. The method of treating a paper web' which comprises. drying the sameby successive applications of an electric current and an air current. j

5. An apparatus for treating fibrous materials, which comprises meansfor advancing a web of such material along a path,

means for conducting an electric current across such path, together withmeans for producing. acurrent of air across said path adjacent the pointofv travel of said electric current thereacro'ss.

6. A paper making machine comprising a felt apron adapted to. carryalong a wet fibre web, electrically conducting members disand meansposed 'o-n op osite sides of said web adapted to caguse an-e ectriccurrent topass across the felt apron and he web carried thereby, and

means for-producing a current of air'passing throughthe felt apron andweb adjacent said conductingmembers.

making machine. comprising a a felt apron adapted to confor-conductingan electric current fibrous material to said felt apron and web adjacentsaid suction device.

8. A paper making machine comprising a suction device, a felt apronadapted to con-. tact with a paper web adjacent said device, means forconducting an electric current to said felt apron and web device, andmeans for projecting air under pressure through said felt apron towardsaid suction device.

9. A paper mak'mg machine comprising upper and lower felt aprons adaptedto advance a paper web therebeiweema suction roll in contact with one ofsaid felt aprons, and means for conducting an electric current throughsaid felt a rons adjacent said roll.

- 10. A paper ma upper and lower felt aprons adapted to ad- 'th'roughsaid felt aprons adjacent said device, and means for projecting airunder pressure through both of said felt aprons toward said suctiondevice. j

-11. The process of drying and bleaching which-comprises subjecting thesame tothe combined action of an electric current and a current of. airpassing through said material.

12. The process of treating a paper web adjacent said suction ingmachine comprising Vance a paper web therebetween, a suction whichcomprises subjecting the same to the combined action of an electriccurrent anda current of an passing through said web while the web scarriedupon the forming wire.

13. The process oftreating a paper web U which comprises subjecting thesa'meto the combined action of an electric current and a current of anpassing throu h said- .web

while the paper web is carried between the forming wire and a feltapron. V

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I. have hereunto set-my handthis 24th. day of February, 1926.

JonuDiroMPKrNs.

